FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Meredith Michelson, meredith@vollmerpr.com, 512-472-3515 (o); 512-743-3036 (m)
Amy Mills, amy.mills@emancipet.org, 512-699-7007 (m)

aspca AND AUSTIN ANIMAL WELFARE LEADERS SUPPORT EMANCIPET IN Face of Program Budget Cuts by City

Reduced funding for Austin’s free sterilization and vaccination program will lead to increased animal intakes, increased risk to human health and safety, increased euthanasia

Austin, TX (June 12, 2009): The City of Austin is facing a budget shortfall, and difficult decisions must be made about which services are most valuable to the Austin community. There are several proposed budget cuts for animal services, but the one of most concern to Austin’s animal welfare leaders – including the ASPCA, Emancipet, Animal Trustees of Austin, and Austin Humane Society – is the proposed cuts to the City’s free sterilization and vaccination program offered through Emancipet.

“We are reaching out to the City Council and City Manager to review the importance and effectiveness of the City’s free sterilization and vaccination program,” said Karen Medicus, Senior Director, ASPCA Mission: Orange. “We want to be sure they have the statistics showing the success of our work over the past several years, and how reduced funding for Austin’s free sterilization and vaccination program will surely lead to increased animal intakes and euthanasia, and increased risk to human health and safety.”

What is Emancipet’s free sterilization program?

Emancipet’s free sterilization program is a highly successful partnership with the City that provides 4,000 free pet sterilizations (spay/neuter) and more than 3,500 free rabies vaccinations each year, primarily to pets living in low-income neighborhoods.

What is the City’s proposed budget cut?

This program is currently funded by the City at $195,000 per year. There are two proposals for reducing the city outlay for this important spay/neuter program. One calls for a reduction of 50% of the program funding out of the City’s general fund, and funding that portion instead through unsolicited – and unguaranteed – citizen donations to the City’s donation fund (currently used to treat sick and injured animals and provide additional sterilization services). The second proposal will cut the entire $195,000 from the general fund budget, wiping out support for the free sterilization and vaccination program completely, and requiring Emancipet to rely solely on the City’s donation fund. Without guaranteed funding from the City, it is estimated that Austin could see a reduction of 2,000 fewer free surgeries.

How will this affect Austin citizens and pets?

Without adequate funding for spay/neuter and vaccination services, there will be more stray animals, causing a higher intake at Austin shelters, and more animals will be euthanized due to lack of space. In addition we will see increased risk and jeopardy to human health and safety, particularly in the targeted neighborhoods Emancipet serves (high intake and low income). Because the free sterilization program has proven so effective, it is critical that it remain fully funded and a core part of the City’s general fund. Although these proposals are intended to save money, in reality they could cost the city more in sheltering costs and animal lives lost.

  • Reducing the funding for spay/neuter means more homeless animals will die.

Austin has made tremendous progress in reducing intake, and subsequently euthanasia rates, in the past several years, due in large part to prevention programs such as these. If more animals enter the shelter next year, the number of animals killed will also increase.

Also, the City shelter has a limited capacity for the number of animals it can shelter. If cuts are made to this program, intake will quickly exceed the capacity of the shelter, leading to higher euthanasia rates and a public outcry. The domino effect will only continue. If this program displaces what is currently funded through the donation fund – such as treating sick and injured animals – something as simple as a broken leg could easily become a death sentence for otherwise adoptable dogs and cats in the shelter.

  • Reducing the funding for spay/neuter puts human health and safety at risk.

Spayed and neutered dogs present a significantly lower risk of attack. The vast majority of dog bites are from unneutered males, and most victims are small children. Further, the budget reductions also include the elimination of free rabies vaccinations, and untreated animals are more likely to transmit the deadly rabies virus if they bite humans. Eliminating the only source of accessible pet sterilization and vaccination will put Austin’s poorest children and families at risk of dog bites, attacks, and needlessly contracting dangerous diseases transmitted by unhealthy animals.

  • Reducing the funding for spay/neuter could actually cost more money than it saves.

A 2005 LBJ School of Public Affairs study of five years of data conclusively determined that the free sterilization program has dramatically reduced the intake of both dogs and cats at the shelter. To put it in perspective, one surgery costs about $33, while the average cost to shelter one animal is $141.95. If shelter intake increases by just 683 animals (a low estimate), the cost of housing those additional animals would be equal to the savings gained by reducing the program funding. In short, the reduction would mean zero savings, and most likely a higher cost on all fronts. Again, the unfortunate alternative would be the need to euthanize many of these animals, since the shelter budget may not accommodate the additional increase in intake.

The other proposed budget cuts for animal welfare services in Austin include eliminating City funding for the free microchip identification program (currently $50,000) and emergency medical care for feral cats at the time of sterilization (currently $30,000). Again, the cost for these programs would need to come from unsolicited citizen donations to the City of Austin’s donation fund. “While the animal welfare leaders would certainly like to continue these important and successful services,” said Medicus, “loss of funding for these programs is not as critical as the spay/neuter and vaccination program.”

“To take action and help fight these devastating budget cuts, we are asking Austin animal lovers to please visit www.emancipet.org,” said Amy Mills, Executive Director of Emancipet. “We urge Austinites to contact the City Manager and City Council and voice their opposition, sign our online petition, or join our Facebook group. In addition, we look forward to our supporters attending one of the two upcoming Town Hall meetings on the proposed budget cuts.”

The Town Hall meetings are scheduled as follows:

  • Monday, June 15, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.Gus Garcia Rec Center, 1201 E. Rundberg Lane
  • Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.Toney Berger Center, 3200 Jones Road

About Emancipet: Emancipet provides services and advocacy that effectively and humanely reduce the homeless pet population in our community. We advocate for and provide free and low-cost spay/neuter services, as they are one of the most efficient and effective methods of reducing the homeless pet population. We provide spay/neuter services throughout the Central Texas area via both mobile and stationary clinics, and serve between 1,200 – 2,000 pets each month. We employ highly skilled veterinary surgeons and veterinary technicians, and our medical protocols exceed the highest standards in veterinary medicine today.For more information, please visit www.emancipet.org.

About the ASPCA®: Founded in 1866, the ASPCA ® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ®) was the first humane organization established in the Americas, and today has more than one million supporters throughout North America. A 501 [c] [3] not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA provides local and national leadership in animal-assisted therapy, animal behavior, animal poison control, anti-cruelty, humane education, legislative services, and shelter outreach. The New York City headquarters houses a full-service, accredited animal hospital, adoption center, and mobile clinic outreach program. The Humane Law Enforcement department enforces New York’s animal cruelty laws and is featured on the reality television series “Animal Precinct” on Animal Planet. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

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